Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1887-10-19

sternly withheld them except on con-
dition of my becoming coward and
a traitor l wish you Joy of your
freedom, Miss Clayton"
He bowed haughtily and turned to
leave the room, but his better nature
triumphed; he could not leave in
scorn and anger the woman he had
loved better than his own life, even
though she had proved herself un-
worthy. Another moment, and he
was beside her, folding her in his arms
with all his old tenderness.
"May heaven forgive you, Genie"
he said sorrowfully, "the great wrong
you are doing us both. One day you
will think different from what
you do now. Heaven bless you !"
And with hurried kiss he was
gone.
With eyes half blinded with tears
she watched him until he was lost to
Der sight; then, burving her face in the
sofa cushions, gave way to q pas
sionate burst of weeping. For three
long months Virginia Clayton had
lived in alternate hope and fear, and
now the terrible battle of Bull Run
had been fought. She knew the Six
teenth was engaged in it; three days
had passed, and with what anxiety
she had waited for the tidings of one
member of that regiment you and l
can imagine, who have waited thus
for tidings OF one dearer than our
lives.
At last, among list of wounded
men conveyed to various Washington
hospitals, she read, with sharp pain
at her heart, "Capt. Albert Marshall,
in the breast, seriously"
Neither pride nor selfshness could
keep her from him now, and in six
andthirty hours she stood in the
office of the hospital, inquiring for
Capt. Marshall. Whether she were
wife, sweetheart or sister, the attend.
ant could not have told but the
pale face. intensely brilliant eyes, and
the half faltering accents of the voice,
told that she was one whose happi-
ness hung upon his answer; and his
tone softened while the usual abrupt.
ness of manner became gentle almost
as a woman, as his lips spoke the
words which crushed her last hope:
''Died this morning at ten"
There was no outcry from the pale
lips, only a hand OF iron seemed
grasping her heart-a terrible weight
had fallen upon her brain, crushing
every feeling. Then slowly, as if
every limb were turned to stone, she
moved mechanically towards the
door.
Some one from the outside opened
it before she reached it.
Without looking up, she stepped
aside, but the new conner seemed in
no haste to pass, and for an instant
both stood silently, until her name,
spoken In terms which thrilled every
fiber of her heart, caused her to raise
her eyes with q sudden start of glad
surprise; for there, before her, in
health and strength, stood the man
she mourned as dead. Joy seldom
kills, but the sudden reaction of feel
ing left her faint and weak, and she
would have fallen had not his arm
lent a willing support.
A half hour later, seated together
in private parlor of g. hotel, when
their mutual explanations were over,
she believed herself to be the hap.
piest woman in all the world. So
sudden, SO unexpected had this hap
piness come that she almost feared
lest it should slip again from her
grasp; and her heart went up to
Heaven in earnest Thanksgiving for
this great blessing, while she humbly
prayed to be made worthy of it.
The mistake which had caused her
SO much sorrow was occasioned by
her ignorance of the fact that Albert
Marshall had 9 cousin bearing the
same name as himself, an officer in a
Western regiment, who had received
his death wound in the same battle
from which he had escaped unhurt.
In reading the name Virginia had
never stopped to see that the regi-
ment was not the one for which she
was looking; but she never regretted
the mistake which had so effectually
cured her of her pride and selfshness,
which had been the curse OF her life.